& Sons (Part 2)

(Sorry for the long break between posts - moving took more time than I expected!)

Tuesday morning, we grabbed some breakfast then packed our bags for a little trip to Koh Samet, one of the many islands dotting the seascape of Thailand.  We have never visited any of the islands here, although many acquaintances have told us we "have to go."  The drive east to Baan Phe was just over an hour, and it didn't take us too long to find the correct pier with the ferry that would take us across (there are seven different piers).  Several hotels from the island share a property at the Seree Pier. It provides their guests with a quick and efficient check-in, and collects their bags for transport to the ferry.  We bid our driver adieu, and with a little time to kill before our ferry ride, crossed the street to a little cafe, The Black Pearl, for some lunch.  This was a very basic establishment, with what appeared to be family members lounging, playing on their phones, and knitting.  It felt a bit like we walked into their house!  The server spoke very little English, but we managed to communicate well enough, and we were served some tasty soup and sandwiches.  I had a delicious Thai milk tea, one of my new favorites.

at the pier

We ate quickly, then hustled back across the street at the appointed time, hopping on a tram that drove us down the pier to our ferry.  The two-level ferry had seating for perhaps 75 people, and we climbed the stairs to the upper level and staked out our seats.  We shared the ride with several Chinese tourists, and a smattering of other nationalities.  The ride across was a lovely, breezy 40-minute cruise, and was included in the cost of the hotel.

our ferry

looking back at the mainland

Once we arrived, a baht bus collected us and our luggage, and drove us to the entrance of our hotel, the Sai Kaew Beach Resort.  We were pleasantly greeted and served a tasty little tropical juice, then taken on a golf cart to our little cottage.  Each cottage is divided into two units, with Tim and I in one, and Tim Jr and Mike in the other.  The accommodations were basic and a little dated, but would serve nicely.  Shortly after we entered, a sweet little Thai lady stopped by to make sure everything was okay, and reminded us to keep the doors and windows closed at sunset because of the many mosquitoes.  Then we noticed the gaps in the windows that wouldn't do much to keep the mosquitoes out.  I took the tie-backs from the curtains and stuffed them into the cracks as best as I could.

After settling in, I wandered out to scope out the place while Tim grabbed some much-needed Zs.  The grounds are an interesting mix of quaint and modern.  The area we stayed in was quaint and quiet, with the "Quiet Beach" just a short walk away.  It actually reminded me a lot of Houghton Lake with it's little grassy expanse and shady trees next to the rocky shore.  I ran into Tim and Mike here, and grabbed a shot of our mutually sandy and easily identifiable feet.

Next we walked through the tropical gardens, past the check-in counter, and on to the Main Beach, which is a wide curved bay of white sand that extends along the fronts of several hotels and restaurants.  The water was beautifully clear and invitingly warm, and the occasional vendor politely accepted our regrets.  This beach had a lot more people, but didn't feel at all crowded.

We made our way back to the cottages and made plans to meet up for dinner.  We headed back to the Main Beach in search of a meal.  A Thai friend told me about a fire show that happens at a certain place on the beach each night, and recommended that we arrive early to get a seat.  Well, we didn't make it far enough down the beach to find the place she mentioned, instead stopping at a place called "Buddy's" that had tables and chairs set up right on the sand.

We had a nice, basic and tasty meal here as the sun disappeared and the mosquitoes appeared.  The hotel provides repellent wipes, and I didn't have a single bite; unfortunately my companions could not say the same.  We wanted to enjoy the atmosphere anyway, and Tim just happened to have our trusty Chinese Checkers set in his pack.  A great battle ensued.

As we played, signs of swirling fire appeared down the beach.  As we lingered, it became obvious that the fire show was actually a traveling attraction, and made it's way down the beach to perform directly in front of us.  These young men were talented and fearless jugglers of fire, with an amazing show of skill.  The tricks grew more and more fantastic; I was most-impressed with a boy of perhaps ten who spun around his waist a hula hoop with multiple torches.  Unbelievable!

Finally, we conceded our spot and made our way back to the cottage, where we had a mean game of Euchre before retiring for the night.

Next morning we got a message from Tim and Mike that they were heading down to breakfast, so we joined them "tout de suite."  The included breakfast was a bountiful buffet with a lovely view of the Main Beach.  We enjoyed a leisurely meal, including a lovely slice of watermelon bread; I'd never seen this before, but others had.  I was duly impressed.

watermelon bread

We took another stroll along the beach, then headed back to get our suits on.  The water was deliciously clean, warm and "wavy."  I could have stayed out there for hours, if my western-European skin would have allowed it.  We did stay for quite some time, taking respite from the sun under a beach umbrella.  A stray dog joined us for some shade at one point.  I couldn't wait to get my hands into the sand and see what I might build.  A gecko soon formed, and was almost as quickly washed away as the tide came in.  We were quite entertained by the Chinese tourists, who seemed to put a lot of effort into documenting their holiday.

A Chinese tourist knelt down beside
me and pretended to help while
her companion took a picture of her (!)

enthusiastic Chinese tourists

portable dock let's people board the boat
without getting wet

Later, we headed into town to look for sunglasses and hats, then found a great little cafe called Red Ginger.  Had some of the most delicious, fresh salads and fruity drinks, along with some enjoyable conversation with our server/chef, a young Cambodian woman who spoke excellent English.  The jazz soundtrack playing in the background was icing on the cake.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g641720-d2027289-Reviews-Red_Ginger-Ko_Samet_Rayong_Province.html

After lunch, we were ready for kickin' back, so we headed for the Quiet Beach with our reading material, and enjoyed doing nothing.  We saw a groundskeeper walking toward the water with a myna bird on his head (!), then realized he must feed them regularly, because several followed him around quite adoringly.  This made the birds unafraid of humans, and one came quite near to us.

bird man of Samet

Mike, Tim Sr. and I went back to the Main Beach for some more swimming, but found some kind of tiny particles or organisms everywhere in the water.  We couldn't see them, but could definitely feel them when we drew our hands through the water.  Wonder what it was?  It must have been the time of day (nearly sunset), since we didn't experience this at all earlier in the day.  A sign had warned us to be on the lookout for jellyfish, but thankfully we didn't run into any of those.  We squeezed in some more sand sculpting as it got dark.

MICHIGAN! (Guess who made this?)

It's a three-headed naga snake, of course

For dinner, we walked back into town to a place that had some favorable reviews on the internet, Funky Monkey.  This little place was run by an Aussie, and his specialty was pizza.  There is a standing offer of a free pizza to anyone who can consume an entire 21" pizza by themselves in ten minutes, or something to that effect.  Well, without really thinking about how much pizza that might be, we ordered two for the four of us.  Holy smokes, it was a lot of pizza!  Needless to say, we were unable to finish...although Mike gave it the old college try...

In the morning, a leisurely breakfast with some excellent jazz to make the morning even more mellow, a quick game of Chinese checkers on the beach, then back to pack up and head to the front office to catch our baht bus back to the pier.  The cute little Thai woman who welcomed us was there to see us off.  When she heard we were American, she proudly named the capitals of Massachusetts, Texas and California.  We added our Lansing to her repertoire.

The ferry back to the mainland was full of loud Americans, boasting about how they were still drunk and couldn't remember the night before, and passing around a bottle - real classy.  I was a bit embarrassed by my fellow countrymen, but just focused on enjoying the scenery.  Mick was waiting for us when we came off the ferry, and we drowsed in the car on the way back to Pattaya.

We took Mike and Tim to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Mike's Mexican, for dinner.  I could not believe it when we walked in and found the very same loud Americans eating there!  Of all the gin joints in all the towns...